1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage and mucosal delivery device for biological or pharmaceutical materials. More specifically, the present invention relates to a storage and mucosal delivery tube for administering biological or pharmaceutical materials to animals.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Generally, it has been know to orally administer biological or pharmaceutical materials such as vaccines. The celebrated polio vaccine was orally administered by embedding it in sugar cube. Vaccines have been orally administered by metal gavage tubes connected to syringes or simply using a syringe without a needle attached thereto. U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,991 discloses a passive oral delivery system for a rabies vaccine to foxes by imbedding a bite-permeable hydrophobic plastic container into a bait and leaving the bait for the animals to eat and thus become immunized.
By the present invention, there is disclosed a device for storing and/or delivering a biologically or pharmaceutically effective amount of material to an animal.
In accordance with the foregoing, the present invention encompasses a device for storing and/or delivering an effective amount of biological or pharmaceutical material to an animal comprising a tube disposed to contain said biological or pharmaceutical material and sealed at its ends, and adapted to provide an opening through which the biological or pharmaceutical material exits and is administered to an intended site of the animal.
Also encompassed by the invention is a method of administering to an animal an effective amount of biological or pharmaceutical material by providing a tube disposed to contain said biological or pharmaceutical material, sealed at its ends, adapted to provide an opening through which the biological or pharmaceutical material exists and is administered to an intended site of the animal.
It has been found that by using the device of the invention, one is able to store effective amounts of biological or pharmaceutical materials such as vaccines, immunostimulants or drugs at ambient temperature or in a frozen condition and/or in liquid nitrogen. It has also been found that by the use of the device of the invention, one can actively administer the biological or pharmaceutical materials to animals. By the term xe2x80x9cactivelyxe2x80x9d herein is meant that the animals can be caused to take in a measured amount of the biological or pharmaceutical material. The device is further advantaged in that it is durable and takes little storage space in, say, a liquid nitrogen tank. This and other aspects of the invention are described more fully below.